The owner of an escaped parrot has overcome her fear of heights to pluck her beloved pet to safety from atop a 30ft tree.
The daring rescue followed a 14-hour ordeal when Cody — a green-winged macaw — escaped from the family home in Dalgety Bay at 11pm on Tuesday.
The flight of fancy sparked an overnight stand off with its owners, Mae and Richard Heasman.
The situation proved challenging as the bird was perched on a neighbouring rooftop and refusing to come down.
As temperatures plummeted, Richard spent the night trying to coax Cody to safety but without success.
Flight of fancy
And as morning broke, Cody caused a stir in the local area when children spotted him on their way to school. The youngsters spotted his red, blue and green plumage atop the Morlich Road home.
However, Richard admitted concerns for Cody’s welfare had been growing because of the all night ordeal.
Normally native of the forests and woodlands of central South America, macaws are used to much warmer climates than a cold winter’s night in Dalgety Bay
With the stand off continuing, the call was finally made to bring in the fire brigade as well as a specialist cherry picker crane.
Firefighters try to help
But a jet of water sent skywards by firefighters — who had been despatched to the scene from Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy — only sent Cody taking cover from one tree to the next.
Eventually, it was Mae who overcame her fear of heights to be lifted over 30ft into the higher reaches of a tree in Moray Way — a quarter of a mile from the family’s home.
And with a friendly hello and flap of his wings, the errant pet soon seized the opportunity to jump on his owner’s shoulder and end his adventure.
“I really didn’t want to go up there but it was becoming more likely that I had no other choice,” said Mae.
A cheeky ‘hello’
“I’d been speaking to him from the ground and his responses made me think he’s now had enough.
“Not liking heights, I just kept focusing on Cody on the way up to the top of the tree.
“I kept on talking to him and when he realised it was me and not a stranger, he even gave me a cheeky ‘hello’.”
And with Mae and Cody finally safely back down to earth, the relief was obvious for all involved.
“The concern was that he was stressed and cold after being outside all night,” Richard said.
“We’re a bit embarrassed to have to call the fire service as I’m sure they have more important things to be doing but they have been a fantastic help.
“Neighbours have also been brilliant bringing out hot drinks through the night and passing on words of encouragement.”
Happy ending
“We are just delighted and relieved to have him back safe and have a happy ending to his ordeal in time for Christmas.
“It’s been a sleepless night for us all and especially Cody so we’ll get him home and let him recuperate.”
